A Tale of Two Witches
by Kitty-chan83
Summary: Cassandra and Chris, two young american witches, are starting their first year at Hogwarts, as second years. Unfortunately it seems that the girls are in for a turbulent year; filled with danger (like giant spiders), mystery (books don't normally write back), and crushes (British accents are so hot). On top of that, the Chamber of Secrets has opened. It's going to be a long year.
1. Chapter 1

Short Author's note

Hi, this is a fanfiction I started awhile ago with a friend, but she had to bail and I forgot about it. I'm going to try to update once in awhile. Please review, I would really like some feedback.

Cassandra's POV

"Did you get a copy of the _Year of the Yeti_?" I asked my cousin Chris as she was walking towards Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"Yeah, I don't see why we need this many books for one class though, especially since they're all written by the same guy," Chris replied, her light brown curls bouncing as she quickened her pace, eager to leave Flourish and Blotts.

"It is kinda suspicious, besides Gilderoy Lockhart looks like too much of a pretty boy to have done all the things he's said he's done," I said as I watched Lockhart flash a blinding smile and wave from the back photo of _Wanderings with Werewolves_.

"I guess. Anyways let's hurry to Madame Malkins, I want to get our robes fitted so we can check out Eeylops Owl Emporium afterwards." Chris hurriedly replied, not really paying attention as she broke into a much faster pace and I had to jog to keep up with her.

"Wait for me!" I shouted. "I want to go there too, but I want to get all of our supplies for school first." At this point Chris slowed down to a walk again as the robe shop was only a few yards away.

"Whatever, I just want to get a pet, like your cat Riddle." Chris retorted. She was probably unhappy that I had mentioned school as it reminded her how we only had a few days left of freedom here before we'd head off to Hogwarts.

"You should get an owl or some type of bird so that we can send letters to our family back in America," I said as I checked over my supplies list one last time to make sure we had everything. Satisfied, I put my list away and walked into Madame Malkins with Chris. Both of us stood still as Madame Malkin poked and pricked us while fitting our robes. I voiced my concern that everyone would look the same wearing the same robes but Chris stated that the different houses as well as the wide age range would set everybody apart. When Madame Malkin finished, the sun was already starting to set. We paid for the robes and headed back to our room in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Sorry we couldn't get your pet today," I tentatively said to Chris, afraid that she was disappointed.

"It's fine, it just means we can spend all of tomorrow browsing through pets." Chris replied brightly.

I sighed in relief, "Yeah just remember we can only get one pet and we only have two more days until we have to go to King's Cross and we need to save some money for a taxi." I said stroking Riddle's soft spotted fur earning her purr of appreciation.

"I know, only two more days," Chris said gazing at the ceiling. "What do you think it'll be like, I mean learning in a classroom full of people as opposed to learning from our parents. And what house do you think you'll be in? Do you think we'll be in the same house?"

"I think learning in a class will be like muggle school, just with magic and a lot more dangerous," I replied. Chris looked at me skeptically with an eyebrow raised.

"I mean, I think there still will be the same types of people. The teacher's pets, the quiet ones, the loud ones, the kiss-ups, the troublemakers, and everybody else." I said, brushing my side-swept light cocoa brown bangs out of my eyes.

"As for what house we'll be in I'm not sure about myself but I definitely think you'll be in Gryffindor." I continued, slightly concerned that we probably wouldn't end up in the same house.

"Really? What's Gryffindor like that makes you think that I belong there?" Chris asked, as she rolled over, a spark of excitement dancing in her blue, with a tinge of gray, eyes.

"Well, all those in Gryffindor are supposedly brave." I said with a slight gleam in my eyes. "So if we translate brave as incredibly reckless, you're a perfect fit."

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Chris replied good naturally, elbowing me in the ribs. I started giggling which soon turned into full blown laughter which Chris joined. Eventually we stopped to catch our breath.

"We should go to bed so that we can get up tomorrow and go get your pet before the shop gets busy," I said breathlessly still recovering from my fits of laughter.

Chris sighed, "Always the voice of reason, you're no fun Cassandra."

I looked up offended, but it disappeared when I saw Chris grinning.

"Yes, I exist to suck all of the fun out of your life Chris." I replied sarcastically. Chris just rolled her eyes. After that we both got ready for bed and said our good-nights.

The next morning we both got up early, had a quick breakfast, and headed to the emporium. After an entire hour of searching Chris finally found what she wanted.

"A bald eagle? I admit it's pretty cool and American but it's really expensive," I said uncertainly. "How are you going to pay for it?" Chris looked at me with pleading eyes.

"No way, I still want to buy some more books from Flourish and Blotts. This will cost all of our spending money combined," I said emphasizing the combined as I shook my head, causing my straight waist-long hair to swish around.

"Pleeeeease! I'll never ask for anything again as long as I live," Chris pleaded. "Besides you already got an expensive copy of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_."

"You know how I love books," I protested. I then sighed, "Fine, I'll give you my spending money but don't expect a Christmas present from me."

Chris practically leaped for joy. She hugged and thanked me then hurried to the counter to buy her bald eagle. It turned out to be a boy eagle and she named it Merik. Happily she left the emporium with me trailing behind her gloomily.

"Tomorrow we're spending the whole day at Flourish and Blotts," I said sternly.

"What!? Why? It's not like you can buy anything anyway," Chris asked.

"I can browse, plus I'm a fast reader." I said proudly. "I can probably read a couple of books there in a day. Besides, you owe me."

"Fine, I'm sure I can find something interesting to read anyway. I mean they're books about magic." Chris conceded.

We then spent the rest of the day wandering around Diagon Alley, although Chris refused to go to Flourish and Blotts because "We'll be spending all day tomorrow there!" We went into the Apothecary which smelled nasty but had enough interesting potion ingredients to make up for it. I loved potions and it was my best subject so Chris had to practically drag me away from the expensive silver unicorn horns.

"But think of all the potions I could make," I whined as she dragged me away.

"No way, besides we don't have any spending money left, just some Galleons for food and some British muggle money for transportation." Chris said. "And it's twenty-one Galleons a pop. It's not worth it."

"I know," I sighed. "Let's go back and catch a quick bite before going to bed. And you should finish packing all your school supplies. We only have one day left."

"Fine," Chris replied. We both returned to the Leaky Cauldron together and retired for the night. The next day we spent the entire time browsing Flourish and Blotts. While browsing through potion books I found a book on Dark Magic. I curiously opened it and was shocked to discover that European wizards consider Parseltongue to be a sign of a dark wizard. I was a Parselmouth myself, a trait I had inherited through my father's Indian heritage. In India Parseltongue was considered a gift so I was surprised that it was so feared here. I privately decided to keep my ability to myself. As it grew dark we finally left the bookstore and went back to the Leaky Cauldron and started getting ready for bed.

"Hey Chris?" I asked hesitantly while we were getting ready to go to bed.

"Hmm? What?" Chris replied taking her toothbrush out of her mouth.

"Don't mention to anybody that I'm a Parselmouth, it's considered Dark Magic here," I said.

"Really? That's dumb. You can't help being a Parselmouth, you were born like that." Chris replied. She hated it when people were judged by the circumstances of their birth or anything but their actions. "I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks," I replied, relieved. Afterwards we both got into bed and turned off the lights. Eventually I heard Chris's breath even out as she fell asleep. Unfortunately, I lay awake worrying about tomorrow. I fell asleep at some point though, because the next thing I felt was Chris shaking me.

"Ugh, what time is it?" I asked groggily, rubbing sleep out of my dark brown eyes. I was usually the one to get up first, so I was surprised to see Chis dressed and ready to go.

"It's 10 o'clock and it takes 45 minutes to get to King's Cross from here! Hurry up and get dressed, I put Riddle in her cat carrier for you but the taxi is waiting outside. You've got five minutes." Chris replied looking at the clock with concern.

"Oh my god," I exclaimed as adrenaline rushed through me. I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and brushed my hair in record time. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

"I tried! God knows that I didn't want to put Riddle in her cat carrier," Chris replied rubbing her arms that had fresh scratches all over them. "But you sleep like one of the dead."

"Sorry," I said guiltily, knowing I had stayed up too late. "Well, let's go." We both rushed downstairs, I skipping breakfast to get into a taxi with a very unhappy taxi driver. As soon as we got in he sped off scaring the animals. It took ten minutes to calm down Riddle and Merik. The taxi driver just looked at us in the rear-view mirror and hissed _Americans_ under his breath. We finally got to King's Cross and stood in between platform 9 and 10 with only ten minutes left.

"What are we going to do!?" i practically wailed, pulling on my hair. "We only have ten minutes left and nobody told us how to get to platform 9 3/4!"

"Are you guys new?" a strange voice broke me out of my despair. A girl our age with bushy brown hair looked at us warmly.

"Yes, we're from America and have never been to Hogwarts before. We're staring as second years but we don't' know how to get onto the platform. Can you help us?" I asked.

"Sure, I had the same problem when I came here last year," the girl replied. "Just walk straight through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. I'll show you." The girl then strode into the barrier, at the last second she turned and said, "My name's Hermione by the way!" and disappeared.

Chris and I shared a look. Then Chris backed up and said "Well here goes nothing." She then ran into the barrier and I ran after her, closing my eyes shut as I passed through.


	2. Chapter 2

Chris's POV

I stumbled to a stop after rushing through the barrier. For a moment I stood and marveled at the Hogwarts Express. The scarlet steam engine puffing, starting on its journey...

A shove from behind me brought me back to reality.

"Hurry! Get on the train," Cassandra shouted as she brushed past me and climbed onto the train.

"Hey! Don't leave me behind," I replied as I jumped aboard with her. "It was your fault that we almost missed it in the first place."

Cassandra looked down guiltily and I opened my mouth to apologize but Cassandra just turned away and started walking down the train compartment. A little miffed, I followed her until we reached the last compartment where the girl who had helped us was sitting alone looking worried.

"Hey do you mind if we sit here?" Cassandra asked with a relieved smile. "Everywhere elses if full."

"Sure, I don't mind at all," the girl said, what was her name again? Was it Harriet or something?

"Sorry for asking but what was your name again?" Cassandra asked, voicing the question we were both wondering about. "I'm really bad with names."

"I'm Hermione Granger," she replied smiling slightly. "I'm in Gryffindor house"

"What's Gryffindor like?" I asked, thinking back to what Cassandra said a few days ago.

"It's great, the head of Gryffindor is Professor McGonagall, the transfiguration teacher." Hermione said. "She's strict but she cares about our well-being."

"That's nice," Cassandra said. "Some my muggle teachers were horrible. They hated kids and yet were teachers for some unknown reason."

"You went to a muggle school?" Hermione asked. "Are you two muggle borns?"

"No, I'm actually a pureblood but in America wizards live among muggles and conceal their magic." Cassandra said.

"And I'm a halfblood," I supplied. "My name is Chris by the way, and this is my cousin Cassandra."

"You're cousins? Hermione asked, surprised. "You two don't look much alike."

It was true, while our heights are pretty similar our looks are very different. While I have pale skin she has slightly dark skin from her Indian father. My skin looks like snow while she appears to be permanently tan. I have curly light brown hair that falls just below my shoulder while she has straight light brown hair that falls all the way to her waist. I have blue-grey eyes which reflect my every thought while her blue-green eyes are always unreadable. Our personalities are different as well. I'm loud and she's quiet. She cares about her grades while I don't. I have lots of friends while she only has a few close friends. The only thing we have in common is our stubbornness, which has got both into trouble a couple of times.

"Yeah, we get that a lot," Cassandra replied while I was lost in my thoughts. "by the way, you looked worried earlier. Is something wrong?"

"Oh, my friends didn't get on the train," Hermione said in a concerned voice. "I don't know how they're going to get to Hogwarts."

"Really?" I asked. "If you don't show up the first day do you get expelled or something?"

Hermione's eyes filled with worry and Cassandra elbowed me in the ribs for upsetting her. Cassandra's eyes wandered to the window and widened.

"What the heck is that?" she said pointing out the window. I looked and squinted at the large object hurtling through the clouds. It wasn't shaped like a bird or a plane. _It's Superman!_ I privately laughed at my own joke but then gasped in shock when I saw that the flying object was actually a car.

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked not quite sure I could believe my own eyes.

"It's the Weasley's flying car!" Hermione exclaimed. "They're going to get themselves expelled! Why are they always getting into trouble."

"I presume those are your friends?" Cassandra asked, pressing her nose to the window to get a closer look at the car.

"Yeah, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter" Hermione said, looking out the window. She smiled, "They're my best friends."

"The Harry Potter?" I asked. "The one who defeated the Dark Lord as a baby?"

"You mean Voldemort," Cassandra said bluntly, eliciting a gasp from Hermione.

"You said his name," Hermione whispered.

"Yes as Dumbledore once said, the fear of a name increases the fear of the thing itself." Cassandra said.

"How do you know that?" I asked skeptically. "You've never met Dumbledore in your life."

"My dad greatly respects Dumbledore and told me all about him," Cassandra replied.

"Dumbledore really is a great wizard," Hermione said. "To think that's he's known even in America."

 _What's that supposed to mean_ I thought to myself, slightly offended.

"Dumbledore is known all over the world," Cassandra said. "He's known to pretty much every witch and wizard."

"I only knew that he was headmaster at Hogwarts" I said. "I didn't know he was so famous."

A moment of awkward silence passed when a rattling was heard and a smiling woman asked, "Anything from the trolley dearies?"

Cassandra rummaged around in her pocket and pulled out few coins, quickly counting them. She then held them out and asked, "What can I get for this?"

The trolley lady smiled and said, "For that I can get you three Chocolate Frogs, two boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and a Pumpkin Pasty."

"I'd like that." Cassandra replied and she gave the trolley lady all her money getting only a few bronze knuts back.

"Anybody else want anything?" the trolley lady asked.

"No thank you," Hermione politely declined.

"I'm with her," I said indicating Cassandra.

The trolley lady smiled and left, the cart rattling as she made her way back to the front.

"Where did you get that money Cassandra?" I asked. "I thought we were all out."

"There was a bit left over from our food money," Cassandra replied. "Bedsides this is 'technically' food isn't it?"

I laughed. "Sure Cassandra, sure."

She frowned, "Guess who isn't getting any now."

"Hey! I was just joking," I exclaimed.

Cassandra held out a Chocolate Frog for me which I delightedly reached for, However just as I was about to grab it, she whisked it away. This went on for a bit until I snatched it away and Cassandra sat back, giggling.

"I get your Chocolate Frog card though," Cassandra said already grappling with her Chocolate frog which was hopping around in her lap.

"Whatever," I said, resigned. I opened my Chocolate Frog and tossed Cassandra the card before biting the frog in half with a satisfying crunch.

"I'm going to get changed into my school robes now, you should too Chris," Cassandra said as she pulled her trunk down and pulled out her new robes.

"Okay," I replied. "We're probably almost there anyway." All of us then changed into our school robes. When we were finished there was a knock on the compartment door and two gangly fourteen-year-old redheads walked in. They looked like twins as I couldn't tell them apart. They were kinda cute though. Cassandra blushed, which shocked me as she never blushes. At least not when boys are concerned.

"Hey Hermione," One of the boys said. "Have you seen Ron? We never saw him on platform 9 3/4."

"Oh you didn't see?" Hermione said. "He and Harry took your flying car."

"What!" The twins exclaimed in unison. "And they didn't take us!" Then the twins noticed us.

"Who are these two?" One of them asked. I waited for Cassandra to introduce us as she is usually the one to introduce us. To my surprise she was still flustered, so to save us from an awkward silence, I began the introduction.

"I'm Chris," I began. "And this is my cousin Cassandra." Cassandra smiled, obviously embarrassed but keeping a poker face despite the red in her cheeks.

"I'm Fred," one of the boys said.

"And I'm George," the other boy said.

"Are you two firsties?" Fred asked. "And is that an American accent I detect?"

"We're actually starting as second-years," I replied. "And yes we're both from America. Our parents home schooled us in magic for the last two years. In America witches and wizards start their training at 10, but there are no wizarding schools. Everyone is taught by their parents or relatives."

"Really?" Hermione asked. "What about muggle borns and orphans?" Finally, Cassandra got her voice back.

"Muggleborns are found by the closest living wizards and are informed of their magic and are trained by them. Whenever a wizard is orphaned, wizarding families adopt them." Cassandra said. "Since there aren't many of us in America no wizard or witch is left alone."

"That's very interesting," Hermione said. "Does that mean every witch and wizard is treated equally or are there still disputes over blood status?"

"Yeah, no one really cares about blood status except for those who have moved to America recently." Cassandra replied. I heard the compartment door close and saw that Fred and George had left. I immediately took the chance to interrogate Cassandra.

"What was that all about?" I questioned Cassandra.

"What do you mean?" Cassandra asked, deliberately avoiding eye contact.

"You know what I mean," I said staring at her intently, making her shift uncomfortably. "You were blushing, you _never_ blush."

"They were very attractive," Cassandra muttered quietly, not blushing but obviously embarrassed.

"You've met plenty of attractive guys before, but you still never blush. It's almost unnerving how good of a poker face you have." I said. "What's so different about these guys?"

"I don't know," Cassandra said indignantly. "I can't help how I feel. For some reason I just couldn't speak when I saw him."

" _Him?_ Which one do you mean?" I asked.

"Fred," Cassandra sighed dreamily. "Oh my god, I'm acting like a lovesick girl" She sighed and looked down.

"You've got it bad," I said shaking my head. "I'm surprised, you've never struck me as the lovesick type."

"I'm not!" She exclaimed. I gave her a look with a raised eyebrow.

"This time's different," Cassandra said. "I don't know why though."

"Fred is a pretty nice," Hermione piped up after listening for a while. "He messes around a lot but he's a nice guy."

"Well it's not like I'm going to do anything," Cassandra said. "Eventually I'll move on. Like we should in this conversation."

"I'm only letting you off now because I think I see Hogwarts coming up," I said looking out the window. Sure enough, a giant castle loomed in the distance.

"We're almost at Hogwarts!" I exclaimed excitedly. I pressed my hands to the windows and watched as the train sped closer to Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 3

Cassandra's POV

 _I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe I blushed in front of a boy. And for no reason too! I mean he was attractive that's for sure, but that's it. I don't know him or anything. It was just..._

"Hey Cassandra!" Chris practically yelled in my ear, yanking me out of my thoughts. "Get our head out of the clouds we need to get on a carriage."

"I've got it!" I retorted. "You don't have to yell in my ear."

"Well then get moving!" Chris said impatiently. I sighed, I knew how exciting this was for Chris. I decided to keep my mouth shut and just keep moving. We followed Hermione to a long line of old-fashioned-looking stagecoaches. They didn't appear to be pulled by anything so I assumed they were enchanted. However, when we got into a carriage and it started moving, it was bumping and swaying, as if pulled by a horse. Eventually, the carriages arrived at the castle and came to a halt. We all got out of the carriage and headed toward the Great Hall.

"We should probably go with the first-years, so that we can get sorted." I told Chris.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Let's go." Chris said quickening her pace to catch up with the huddled group of eleven-year olds, who were leaving a trail of lake water. When we arrived we saw that one boy was completely sopping wet and with every step water seeped out of his shoes. We skirted around the big puddles and kept close to the group. We eventually stopped in a small chamber and all the first years clumped together in crowd while Chris and I stood off to the side together. The woman who lead the first-years turned around and surveyed us sternly. Her eyes eventually reached us.

"You two," she said. "Are you Cassandra Chopra and Christine Shanley, the new students from America?"

"Yes we are," I said. "Were we right to come here? We need to be sorted into houses right?"

"Yes, you'll be sorted with the first-years," she replied. "Now, I am Professor McGonagall. I am the head of Gryffindor house and I teach Transfiguration here at Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes drifted to the drenched boy as she said that. "I shall return when we are ready for you, please wait quietly." And with that she left the chamber.

A few minutes later, just enough time for everyone to work themselves up worrying about how they were going to be sorted, Professor McGonagall returned.

"Form a line, and follow me," she said sharply. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin."

We all walked into the Great Hall and gasped. _I read about the Great Hall in_ Hogwarts, A History _but I never imagined it would be this beautiful._ I thought. Truly it was, thousands of gleaming candles floated in the air over four long tables covered in glistening golden goblets and plates. The ceiling, enchanted to look like the outside, twinkled as all the stars shone, making it hard to believe that there was a ceiling at all.

A soft thud broke me from my thoughts as I looked ahead and saw that Professor McGonagall had placed a stool in front of the first year that had an old frayed hat upon it. Then to my surprise, the brim of the hat opened and it burst into song. I was so surprised I didn't actually hear any of the words it sang and was jolted back into reality when Professor McGonagall started calling of names.

She listed them off alphabetically by last name, which made me a little nauseous as I realized my turn would be soon.

"Chopra, Cassandra!" she called. I made my way up to the stool, my stomach twisting with nervousness but I kept a poker face. I sat down and put on the hat which fell over my eyes.

"Hmm," a small voice whispered. "Interesting. A great mind, you'd do well in Ravenclaw. However, you're a bit manipulative and cunning. You know what to do to get what you want. You believe that the ends justify the means eh? And you're a Parselmouth? Better be SLYTHERIN!"

I took of the hat and walked to the Slytherin table, who were cheering loudly. I sat down by a pale boy with white-blond hair and an air of arrogance.

"Hello," the boy said. "My name's Draco. So you're a first year right?"

"No, I'm actually starting as a second year," I said. "I'm twelve years old."

"Really?" Draco asked. "So you've never done magic before."

"In America we start our wizard training at age ten." I said. "But there are no wizarding schools in America so everyone is trained by their parents."

"Really? That's very interesting," Draco said, flashing a smile.

 _Not really,_ I thought. _Why is he so interested in me._ I looked down the table. _Oh. That's why._ While I don't consider myself to be that pretty, I probably looked like a supermodel compared to most of the girls at the Slytherin table. There was one girl with a pug face who was glaring at me. She probably liked Draco.

 _Speaking of like,_ I thought. I looked around for Fred. He was sitting at the Gryffindor table next to his twin, George.

"Shanley, Christine!" was called and I looked up to see Chris crossing the Great Hall with a grimace, she hated her full name. After a few seconds on the stool the hat cried out "GRYFFINDOR!"

I cheered for her, which got me a lot of looks from the Slytherin House.

I leaned towards Draco and asked, "What's their problem, that's my cousin."

"Gryffindor and Slytherin don't really get along." He whispered back. "They're made up of blood-traitors and mudbloods."

I drew back with immediately. "Excuse me, that is a horrible and disrespectful name for muggleborns. Besides my best friends are muggles."

He withdrew in disgust. "Are you a mud- muggle born too." I knew he was about to say mudblood so I sent him a death glare, warning him.

"I'm actually a pureblood." I said haughtily. "But that doesn't mean I look down upon wizards who aren't or look down upon muggles."

He looked conflicted, probably didn't want to upset me because I was the prettiest girl in Slytherin, but he still was a racist and my ideas revolted him. I cheered up a bit at the thought that I was the prettiest girl in Slytherin. I wasn't bragging or exaggerating either, all the girls here were really ugly. Eventually, he made a decision and he opened his mouth.

"So you're a blood-traitor too," He sneered.

I stared at him for a few seconds, which turned into a few minutes until his cheeks started to turn pink.

"What," he said, obviously very uncomfortable.

I smiled slowly, the before he could react I grabbed my wand, whispered an incantation, and put it back before any teacher could see.

"What did you do!" he demanded.

"You'll see," I laughed. I giggled and then turned around to listen to the rest of the Sorting.

"Weasley, Ginny!" was sent to Gryffindor where she was received with roaring applause. She sat down by her older brothers, and I sighed thinking about Fred again.

Eventually all the first-years were sorted and seated and Albus Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! I'm sure everyone here is hunger, so dig in!"

A feast magically appeared on the golden plates. I suddenly remembered that I hadn't eaten anything all day except for the sweets on the train. I filled my plate and heartily tucked in. After dinner, dessert magically appeared and I was able to eat a few macaroons before I was stuffed. After the feast, the school sang the school song which I lip synced too because I'm a horrible singer. I was following the rest of the Slytherins to the dormitory, when a man with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin approached me.

"Miss Chopra, I am Professor Snape, the head of Slytherin house and the potions master." he said, he then withdrew a key shaped like a snake and handed it to me. "This is the key to your new room, where you will be living during the next six years."

"Thank you, sir" I said, accepting the key and pocketing it. I was a little unnerved, he kinda creeped me out. But he taught potions, my favorite subject, so he couldn't be all bad.

I walked quickly, catching up with some straggling Slytherins who were heading to the dungeon. I followed them until they reached a blank wall and said "pure-blood" which caused a hidden stone door to open. The common room was, disappointing to put it frankly. It was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and a ceiling from which round greenish lanterns hung on chains. A fire crackled beneath an elaborately carved mantelpiece and there were several high-backed chairs sitting around. I sighed, _I guess I'll be spending all my time in the library. It's so depressing and creepy here._

I walked over to two ascending staircases, unsure of which one to take.

"Excuse me," I asked a fourth year boy, starling him. "Which staircase leads to the girls dormitories?"

"Er, the left one," he said.

"Thanks," I said and smiled, causing him to blush. It's kinda sad how ugly the girls in Slytherin are if a twelve-year-old girl can cause a fourteen-year-old boy to blush. I walked up the left staircase and pulled my key out of my robes. The snake's tail coiled around the number eight, which I presumed to be my door number. I found my room on the second landing. I opened the door to find Riddle curled up on my bed sleeping and my trunk leaning against a desk with gas lamp. I unpacked, got ready for bed, and drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chris's POV

I opened my eyes blearily as sunlight streamed into the Gryffindor's girl dormitory room. I sat up to see that Hermione had already gone down to breakfast but Parvati Patil and

Lavender Brown were still bustling around getting ready for the day.

"Mornin'," I yawned wearily. Lavender and Parvati looked startled to be addressed and just gave me a slight awkward nod. I rolled out of bed slowly and started pulling my robes out of my trunk. I got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. I looked for bushy-brown hair and found Hermione sitting next to two boys. One was redheaded, probably Ron Weasley, and stuffing his mouth. The other was a cute skinny boy with messy black hair and glasses. As I drew closer, the skinny boy made eye contact with me and my heart skipped a beat. Then my eyes found the lightning-shaped-scar on his forehead and realized he was Harry Potter.

"Hey Hermione," I said. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Sure," she replied brightly. "Chris, these are my friends Ron and Harry."

"Nice to meet you," I said with a smile, my cheeks dusting with pink when Harry smiled back.

"Nice to meet you to," Harry replied while Ron said something with mouth full that was incomprehensible, earning him a look of disgust from Hermione. A great many flapping of wings overhead alerted me to the arrival of the mail. I didn't expect anything as I haven't sent a letter home yet.

A big, lumpy package bounced off Neville's head and, a second later, something large and gray fell into Hermione's jug, spraying them all with milk and feathers.

"Enrol!" said Ron, pulling the bedraggled owl out by the feet. Errol slumped, unconscious, onto the table, his legs in the air and a damp red envelope in his beak.

"Oh, no -" Ron gasped.

"It's all right, he's still alive," said Hermione, prodding Errol gently with the tip of her finger.

"It's not that - it's that."

Ron was pointing at the red envelope. It looked like a regular envelope to me, but Ron and Neville were both looking at it as though they expected it to explode.

"What's the matter?" said Harry.

"She's - she's sent me a Howler," said Ron faintly.

"You'd better open it, Ron," said Neville in a timid whisper. "It'll be worse if you don't My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and" - he gulped - "it was horrible."

I looked from their petrified faces to the red envelope.

"What's a Howler?" Harry said.

But Ron's whole attention was fixed on the letter, which had begun to smoke at the corners.

"Open it," Neville urged. "It'll all be over in a few minutes -"

Ron stretched out a shaking hand, eased the envelope from Errol's beak, and slit it open. Neville stuffed his fingers in his ears. A split second later, I knew why. I thought for a moment it had exploded; a roar of sound fiIled the huge hall, shaking dust from the ceiling.

"STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY'D EXPELLED YOU, YOU WAIT TILL I GET HOLD OF YOU, I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU STOPPED TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE -"

Ron's mom yelled, a hundred times louder than usual, made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls. People throughout the hall were swiveling around to see who had received the Howler, and Ron sank so low in his chair that only his crimson forehead could be seen.

"- LETTER FROM DUMBLEDORE LAST NIGHT, I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS, YOU AND HARRY COULD BOTH HAVE DIED -"

I personally thought that this was an overreaction, nobody got hurt so what was the big deal.

"-ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED - YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT AND IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME."

A ringing silence fell. The red envelope, which had dropped from Ron's hand, burst into flames and curled into ashes. Harry and Ron sat stunned, as though a tidal wave had just passed over them. A few people laughed and, gradually, a babble of talk broke out again.

Hermione closed Voyages with Vampires and looked down at the top of Ron's head.

"Well, I don't know what you expected, Ron, but you -"

"Don't tell me I deserved it," snapped Ron.

"I don't think you deserved that, it seems like an overreaction to me," I said grabbing a piece of toast and buttering it.

"Thank you, Chris was it," he replied.

"Yeah," I said. 'You're welcome."

As I was eating, Professor McGonagall walked around and handed out schedules. I looked to see that I had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first. I stayed at breakfast a little longer than Hermione and the others. After they left Cassandra came over and sat by me.

"Ugh, Slytherin sucks," Cassandra said irritably. "They're a bunch of racist pigs."

"So I'm assuming you didn't make any new friends," I said between mouthfuls of oatmeal.

"Yeah, all the girls hate me and I'm not good with guy friends."

"Why do they hate you?"

"They hate me cause I'm beautiful," Cassandra sang that last part. I laughed.

"I'm serious all the other girls in Slytherin are super ugly." Cassandra said. I glanced over to the Slytherin table to see a large and rather unattractive girl glaring at Cassandra.

"Huh, you're right," I said. "Those girls are definitely glaring at you."

"At least I get my own room," Cassandra sighed.

"What!?" I exclaimed. "Lucky you, I have to sleep in a dorm room." I said enviously.

"Well you don't have to worry about your roommates strangling you in your sleep,: Cassandra replied. "This one pug-faced girl flexes her hands and stares at my neck every time she looks at me. It would scare me if I couldn't hex her into oblivion."

"I should go to class" I said as I saw the majority of the hall was already empty.

"Ok, see you at lunch and in potions," Cassandra said.

"Bye," I said before getting up and walking to the entrance of the Great Hall. As I was walking I bumped into Ginny, knocking her books out of her hands.

"I'm so sorry," I said. "Here, let me help you." I picked up a small black book that had fallen on the floor a foot away.

"No it's okay," Ginny said shyly and she quickly picked up all her books and dashed off.

"Wait!" I called after her, but to no avail. "I'll just give it to her later." I placed the book in my bag and walked to class, barely making it in time.


	5. Chapter 5

Cassandra's POV

The first few classes passed by in a blink. Unfortunately, I was always stuck with Slytherin. I managed to get partners in other houses whenever we were doubled up, but I had to work alone when I was with Slytherin

Luckily, that hex I put on Draco appears to have scared off the other Slytherin girls. He didn't look so pretty with all those pimples on his face. I thought to myself with a smirk. I had used that hex on my brother when he stole money out of my piggy bank. The hex activated while the victim slept. My Uncle had taught it to me.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the period. I packed up my books and headed to the Great Hall. I had a quick lunch and then headed back to my dorm room. I unloaded all my textbooks, notes, and homework assignments from my morning classes.

I took a moment to sit down and Riddle finally got up and greeted me. She meowed loudly and headbutted my calves. I got up and scratched her ears while she purred contently. Then I grabbed what I needed for the rest of my classes and my copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I went to the library so I could sit down and read it. I was raised on Indian and American wizarding stories, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was British. I hadn't read it before, so I was looking forward to it.

I sat peacefully in the library for a while. Nobody approached me which was kinda disappointing despite my dislike of attention. I did want to make some new friends here at Hogwarts, but I had already ostracized the entirety of my house. Plus, it was becoming clear to me that Slytherin wasn't very popular among the other houses. I was sure that their reputation was well-deserved, but I was unhappy with how that reputation reflected on me.

Honestly, my best bet would be some Hufflepuffs, they seemed nice. However, I wanted to make friends in Gryffindor. Not only were Hermione and Chris in there, but Fred was too. Unluckily for me, Gryffindor and Slytherin were the biggest rivals in the school.

"How were your classes?" A voice broke me out of my thoughts. Blue-grey eyes stared intensely into mine. An emotion unknown to me danced in Chris's eyes. Before I could read deeper, she sat down.

"Fine, I guess." I said. "They were pretty easy actually."

Chris rolled her eyes, "Of course they were. Magic and school has always been easy for you. What I wanted to know was whether or not you talked to anybody."

"I talk to people," I objected, miffed that she had brought up my issues. I wasn't a very social person, the opposite of Chris. While she has plenty of friends and acquaintances, I only had a few close friends. I'm perfectly fine with only having a handful of friends but zero bothered even me.

"Working together in class because the teacher tell you to doesn't count." Chris said bluntly. "You should talk to Hermione, you two would get along like peas in a pod."

"I'd like that but.." I hesitated, my stomach squirming in nervousness at the thought of approaching someone by myself.

"Don't worry, I'll be with you." Chris said, flashing me a reassuring smile. Yet her eyes were definitely asking for something.

"Sit down." I instructed.

"Thank goodness" Chris sighed in relief. "I haven't gotten the spell down to de-frizzify my hair."

"It's not that hard," I said as I grabbed her hair. I started running my wand over it as I silently cast the spell. It was the only noverbal spell I could do. "And I'm pretty sure 'de-frizzify' isn't an actual word."

"Are you kidding me?" Chris scoffed. "We don't start nonverbal spells in classes until sixth year!"

"Well then you're lucky I can do it for you," I said as I finished. I checked my watch and noticed we only had several minutes left to get to class. "We have to go. Now."

I gathered all my books quickly while Chris just pushed her books off the table into her bag. I practically sprinted to my class. It turns out that I was early and I decided to take a seat in the front. I soon realized I had made a big mistake. I didn't like history classes in general but I thought History of Magic would be interesting. I had never been so wrong in my life.

I tuned out everything after I wrote down what were were expected to learn during the semester. I would study on my own. I reached in my bag for The Tales of Beedle the Bard but instead my hand found a small black book I had never seen before. I had no idea how it got there. When I examined it I discovered it belonged to someone named T.M. Riddle and it was almost 50 years old.

I was too bored to think about it too deeply and I started doodling in it. I wasn't an artist by any means. I just scribbled and drew basic hearts. I froze when I saw all the ink disappear into the pages. I shook my pen, quills were too hard to use, and scribbled on the page again.

"My name is Cassandra Chopra." I wrote slowly, unsure of what I was expecting.

Hello, Cassandra Chopra. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary.

"I found it in my bag," I wrote back quickly. "What exactly is this? How did you do it?"

I preserved my memories in a lasting way using a complicated piece of magic. I wanted to leave behind a record of certain events that occurred during my years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"That's where I am right now," I wrote back excitedly. "I'm from America and have been learning magic for two years at home. I'm starting at Hogwarts as a second year."

That's very interesting, did you still get sorted with the first years?

"Yeah," I wrote back. "I'm in Slytherin, which sucks. But I guess being a pureblood and a Parselmouth was too perfect a fit."

A Parselmouth? This meeting must be fate. I too am a Parselmouth and I was a part of the noble house of Slytherin during my time at Hogwarts.

"Really?" I wrote. "Parselmouths aren't common in Europe and it is perceived as a sign of a dark wizard. I'm a Parselmouth because of my father's Indian blood. While it certainly isn't common, it's not rare either. My brothers and I are all Parselmouths."

Really? Than how is being a Parselmouth perceived in Indian culture.

"It's seen as a gift from the gods, a sign of greatness." I wrote back, the familiar pride at my heritage warming me.

The bell rang, jerking me back into reality. I wrote a quick goodbye and packed my bags. I was distracted the rest of the day, eager to talk, or to write to my new friend Tom Riddle. That night I wrote eagerly to him, glad to have someone to spill all my thoughts too. He helped me work up the courage to approach Hermione and her friends. I made the decision that tomorrow I would go up to the Gryffindor table and sit there for breakfast. After doing all my homework, I fell asleep, excited for the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

Chris's POV

I blinked stupidly for a few seconds, unsure of what to do. Cassandra had just plopped down next to me at the Gryffindor breakfast table. While she looked composed to the average eye I could tell she had used a lot of courage to do it.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked rudely through a mouthful of oatmeal.

"Eat or speak Ron," Hermione reprimanded him. "This is Cassandra, Chris's cousin."

"It's nice to meet you all," Cassandra said coolly. "I have a feeling I should avoid the Slytherin table for a few days. Draco and his goons were not happy after my hex kicked in on Draco's face."

"You did that?" Fred, or maybe George, butted in. He had gotten up from a few spaces down and was casually leaning over by Ron, stealing a piece of his toast.

"Yeah," Cassandra stuttered, her cheeks gaining color. It must be Fred then.

"I remember that one!' I exclaimed "Didn't you use it on Alexander last summer?"

"Yeah, he splashed me while I was sitting by the pool, reading." Cassandra replied. "I've used it on him several times, one would think he would learn his lesson."

"You've used magic outside of school?" Harry piped up.

"Yeah, in America there's no such thing as underage magic." I said, hoping to sound smart.

"Really, that's totally unfair!" Ron spoke after swallowing a huge mouthful.

"That's because of the Salem witch trials," Cassandra said after sipping some orange juice. She must be trying to look sophisticated. Normally, she gulps it down. "Several young witches were caught and killed during them. The government then decided that the training of wizards and witches would begin at ten years old."

"Yeah, and they also decided that everyone over ten could use magic whenever they want, except in the presence of muggles." I supplied. "There's been some debate over that in the last couple of decades or so. Mainly because the everyone just uses that to be lazy instead of learn."

"Yeah, like making your toothbrush brush your teeth for you." Cassandra put in, after spooning a large portion of scrambled eggs onto her plate.

"It's pretty awesome." I concluded.

After that the conversation pretty much ended. Fred made a crack at Ron about his wand and dodged the cereal thrown at his head. Harry and Ron seemed to be cool with Cassandra hanging out with us, and were polite to her. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw how well Cassandra was getting on with everyone. She had trouble making friends in new places. She had known all her friends all her life, she's never had to make new friends.

Cassandra and Hermione got on really well. I was happy, for both of them. I don't really have a lot of girlfriends, I'm more comfortable around guys like Harry and Ron. I'm glad that Hermione has a girlfriend and that Cassandra has a new friend.

"It's almost time for potions," Cassandra said. "Do you want to walk with me Hermione, I think you'd be interested in this book."

"Sure," Hermione replied, already packing up her stuff.

They left together, earning themselves some nasty glares from the Slytherin table. I also noticed some disapproving looks from Snape. He seemed to be the only one though, Professor Dumbledore looked delighted to see a Slytherin and a Gryffindor getting along. Professor McGonagall looked stern, but she didn't seem disapproving. It was hard to tell though, she always looked stern.

"Should we go to?" Harry asked me.

"Nah," I waved him down. "Cassandra always leaves early for class. We got plenty of time. Can you pass that butter?"

"Sure thing, Chris." Harry replied. He passed it to me and our fingers brushed against each other for a second. I blushed but Harry didn't even notice.

Eventually, as the Great Hall cleared out, we got up and headed to potions. Hermione and Cassandra had already paired up. Harry and Ron sat down with each other and I ended up with Neville.

Don't get me wrong, I like Neville. I wonder how he got into Gryffindor, but he's a nice guy. His issue is that he gets flustered too easily. If he makes a mistake, he tends to make more. Luckily, our spot was right next to Hermione and Cassandra's.

We managed to get an acceptable grade on our potion, with a lot of help from Cassandra. Hermione tried to help, but Snape took off ten points from Gryffindor for being "a showoff". However, when Cassandra helped Neville and I Snape turned a blind eye. He really wants Slytherin to win the House cup I guess.

Eventually, Cassandra and I got settled into a schedule. We are breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the Great Hall at the Gryffindor table with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Every time Gryffindor had classes with the Slytherins, Cassandra would work with us. We rotated partners and got closer to the guys.

Harry was brave, modest, and loyal. He always stuck up for his friends and didn't back down from bullies. He did his best to avoid that annoying Lockhart and Colin. He never tried to show off either. It was a little odd that he heard voices during his detention with Lockhart. Plus he was too nice to refuse when Nearly Headless Nick invited his to his deathday party. I got suckered into going. Harry didn't realize the power of his cute crooked, guilty grin.

Ron has good intentions but they seem to get him in trouble. When Malfoy called Hermione a mudblood, he tried to curse him. Unfortunately it backfired and he was puking slugs for hours. His loyalty is admirable though, he teases Hermione a lot but didn't hesitate to defend her. It was a shame that neither Harry or Ron were interested in girls yet.

Hermione seemed like a nerd at first but she got better as I got to know her. Plus it was great when she let the guys and me copy off her notes/homework. Hermione was nice, but I got along better with the guys than with her. Hermione and Cassandra became inseparable though. They spent hours in the library together, discussing classes and the differences between the magical communities of America and Great Britain. One time they even had a "sleepover". The fact that Cassandra volunteered to share her room with someone said a lot about the strength of their friendship.

Eventually, it was time for the Halloween Feast and Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party. Cassandra claimed that Snape had told her to sit with the Slytherins for feasts and avoided going. I couldn't tell if she was lying. She's brutally honest in general, but she lies when it suits her. She's probably going to be very accomplished at Occlumency.

Anyway, the night of the feast eventually came. The Halloween feast looked awesome. Thousands of bats flitted about the ceiling of the Great Hall, making all the candles flicker. It gave off a creepy, but cool, vibe. Plus Hagrid had carved out giant pumpkins into lanterns. I even heard that Professor Dumbledore had booked some dancing skeletons.

Harry wanted to back out of going but Hermione insisted he keep his promise. So Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I all headed towards the dungeons. It was freezing, and the amount of ghosts was overwhelming. Peeves and Moaning Mertle were but there too, making it even worse. Plus there was no food, making it a complete waste of time. Eventually we all agreed to leave, even Hermione was eager to get upstairs.

However, as we were walking upstairs, hoping to make it to the Great Hall before all the food disappeared, Harry suddenly stopped. He appeared to be hearing something we couldn't. Before we could calm him down he ran off. He eventually stopped in a deserted passage. Ron and I started to question Harry's sanity, but Hermione interrupted us.

"Look!" she gasped.

The flaming torches on the wall cast flickering light through the corridor. Foot-high words smeared on the wall were illuminated, they looked to be dripping. The words appeared to be written in blood, but a clearer look revealed it to simply be red paint. However, the color still had a very creepy effect.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

I spaced out, feeling eerily calm, as I read the words. As I got over my initial shock, I felt no fear. I assumed it to be a prank. Ron's voice jolted me out trance and made me realize I was wrong.

Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging from by her tail from the torch bracket. She was as stiff as a board, her eyes were wide and staring. A gasp of horror rose from my lips. This was serious Dark Magic. Something big was going here at this school. Despite the fear twisting in my belly, I felt another emotion. Excitement. Something was going on here and I planned to find out what it was.


End file.
